A/N: So I have never been to The Grand Ole Opry, let alone Tennessee. I only know what Google and YouTube searches can dig up; the rest comes from my imagination. I tried to get the important details right. Go easy on me? I try!

Enjoy!

Brad Paisley once said: There are two places you play Country music: The Grand Ole Opry, and everywhere else.

So as she turns the corner around the back of the famous Nashville theater, butterflies form in the pit of her stomach. She doesn't understand why; she's seen Deacon play nearly a hundred shows. Why is this one any different?

Then she realizes, the butterflies aren't those of nerves, but of excited energy.

Maxine, Deacon, and all the other guys (though the term is more of a grouping, than gender identifying as there are other girls, besides Max, in their band) have worked extremely hard for this opportunity. And to have been privy to the roller coaster they've been on the last year, Finn is equally lucky.

She pulls into a spot caddy corner from the stage door and cuts off the engine, stopping the radio right in the middle of a sentence. Finn checks her makeup in the visor mirror, making sure the Indian summer heat hasn't melted it all over her face. Thankfully: everything seems in place, and with one last quick swipe of lip gloss, she gathers her purse and steps out.

Finn uses the frame of her car for support as she steps to the back door and opens it, grabbing her crutches first thing.

That's when she realizes: there is a major problem, Houston.

Getting her load into the car was one thing. The kind little kids in the apartment next to Deacons helped with that (though it didn't hurt that she gave them ice cream money for their assistance). Getting it out and into the theater was a whole other story.

After she sends an SOS text to Shay, Finn finally takes in surroundings.

Sure, she's been to Nashville before; Deacon lives thirty minutes outside the city. But besides quick drive-by's, Finn has never been to the Grand Ole Opry before in her life. She's heard the stories, everyone has; and seen the videos all over the internet. But something about being close enough to touch makes her stomach churn; and the waves of heat coming off the pavement aren't helping at all.

"Hey!"

Finn turns at the call and the tension in her belly is relieved at the sight of her friend. Shay steps down the three concrete stairs in front of the stage door and crosses the parking lot to meet her. Wearing a blue, floral tank top, denim cut-offs, and flip-flops, with tattoos on nearly every visible piece of skin, save for her face, and a glittering gem in her nose, Shay Butler may look tough and hard core, but under that book cover, she's the sweetest person on the planet.

They had found her working a mail-room job at a record company with dreams of going into PR. Dave had seen her potential and brought her on to help manage and to do PR for the band on a trial basis.

That was three years ago. And she's been their problem ever since.

"Looks like you got here in one piece," Shay jokes, pulling Finn into a hug.

"More or less. Traffic was a nightmare!" Nemo groans, rolling her eyes.

"It always is; especially on show night." Shay's mispronunciation of the word 'especially' has always made Finn smile. She says it 'expecially;' not getting the first 's.' Coupled with her southern accent; it is just another proof that despite the tattoos and piercings, Shay is harmless.

Mostly.

You do not want to mess with her before she's had her morning coffee, half hour before show time or when she's been dealing with ass hats on the phone all day.

"Okay: what can I do?"

"Can you carry stuff for me? I'd do it myself, but," she says shrugging, a bit self-conscious, but poking fun at herself.

"Sure. How the hell did you get all this in here?" Shay comments, looking at the load in the back seat.

"Payed some neighbor kids," Finn laughs.

"Nice," Shay replies, smiling.

"Okay, so I just have a few pans of cupcakes and some Gatorade," Finn says, scooping up the Target bag full of the particular sports drink she had been requested to pick up after asking the night before if she should bring anything. The cupcakes were extra; and she knew Deacon loved them.

"Sounds good," Shay says, laying her arms flat, accepting the foil pans filled with the dessert. She shifts them to one arm and takes the shopping bag, setting it in the crook on an elbow before shift the pans back.

Finn closes the doors and makes sure the car is locked before the two girls walk back across the parking lot. The burly security guard holds the door for them and Finn thanks him and offers him a cupcake, to which he happily accepts.

Shay leads them through the maze of hallways to the dressing room where their band is being held until the show starts. It's the same brown, wooden door as every other door on the hall, with their band name typed up on a piece of printer paper and taped to the outside.

"Aye! Let us in!" Shay yells at the closed door, kicking the bottom with her foot.

"Alright, alright! God!" the voice from the inside is muffled, but annoyed.

Shay shoves through the door, without thanking whomever opened it for them, and deposits her load on the nearest table.

Thankfully Finn has manners and as she enters the dressing room, she thanks the man behind the door. "Thanks," she says meeting his eyes before her face breaks into a wide grin. "Hey!" she's being wrapped up in a hug the next second.

"Hey!"

"When did you get back?" Finn asks, pulling back to arm's length and giving the guy hugging her a once over. Aside from a fresh haircut and the thick, black glasses perched on his nose, Jared still looks the same as the last time she saw him four months ago.

"Um, last night? The night before? Who knows," the blonde guitarist shrugs, letting his friend past him and further into the room.

It's about the size of a standard hotel room, with basically the same amenities. Vanity with lights around the mirror, table and chairs in the center, and a television hung to the wall perpendicular to the mirror with artwork on the same wall. And aside from all the crap the band members brought with them, there is not much else in the room.

"God, Deacon! Put a shirt on! There are girls in this room!" Gabi's remark is one of the few she's said all day, and every one of her bandmates is silently relieved she's talking again.

"Ignore her," Finn assures, walking over to her boyfriend, wrapping her arms around his waist. "I like it; leave it off." She smiles, standing on tiptoe to kiss him; Deacon towers over Finn, nearly a foot taller than her.

"See? Someone appreciates my chiseled physique!" Deacon laughs, looking behind him at the drummer seated at the vanity pinning her hair into the two buns she wears for shows. Gabi meets his look and rolls her eyes at him through the mirror.

"Hey, Nemo! What are these?" Jared asks, lifting the tinfoil covering one of the cupcake pans.

"Cupcakes!" Finn smiles, turning in Deacons arms to face her friend.

"Are those-?" Deacon asks, pointing to the pans, tightening his hold on Finn.

"Yep." she smiles, leaning back to meet his eyes.

"Mmm! I love you!" He growls, kissing her, before letting go and crossing the room in two strides. He tears off the foil, tossing it aside as he digs into the cupcakes.

"Ew! What are those?" Shay asks, her brow furrowed, looking at the grey frosting covered cupcakes.

"Crack," Deacon comments, his mouth full.

"They're my take on 'The Grey Stuff' from Beauty and the Beast," Finn starts, rolling her eyes at Deacon's comment. "I made them for my niece's fourth or fifth birthday- right, Deacon? It was her fourth or fifth?-"

"Yeah," Deacon nods.

"Anyway, I made them for her party and they sort of became my signature thing," she smiles.

Jared timidly picks one up and takes a bite and when his eyes light up, Finn knows she's hooked him.

"Oh my god!" And that's the best reaction Finn could have hoped for. "Deacon's right: these are crack!"

Finn laughs, looking down, hiding her face; a move almost identical to her mother.

"Hey!"

The door slams open, letting the group of people in and making the already full room even more full.

"Aye, Kentucky! Come try these. Nemo made literal crack," Jared shouts, waving over Maxine's father.

"She did what!?" Zac's laugh fills the room even more; all the voices overlapping make conversations rather hard to follow.

"Just eat this," Deacon says, shoving a cupcake into both men's hands.

And once again, astonishment and praise are said over the cupcakes, and a request is made for another batch to be made before Finn heads back to New York.

"Nemo, come here." Maxine calls her over, and as is a common scene: all the girls (Max, Gabi, and the two back-up singer: Zee and Leslie) are seated in a row along the mirror. "Will you hold this for me?" she asks over the bobby pin in her mouth, holding out one of the small braids she had made.

Finn helps Max get her hair ready, and twenty minutes later they are being called to the stage.

"Have fun," Finn tells everyone as they walk out, stopping Deacon for a kiss as he passes her.

[] []

The only people left in the room with her are Shay, Kentucky, Zac, and his wife Emily. About ten minutes after the band had headed for the stage, the group of supporters heads out into the house and their seats.

Fin is complete awe the second she steps into the theater. It's gorgeous! All lit up, music blasting from the speakers, velvet curtains pulled closed awaiting the start of the show. They got good seats too: fourth row, right in the middle; and Finn swears she saw Miranda Lambert sitting five rows behind them, but she was afraid to look and be marked a creep.

Once the show starts, Finn gets swept up in the magic of it; her smile is so wide it makes her eyes squint.

Dierks Bentley performs first, and having been a fan of his for years, Finn freaks out when he takes the stage. She freaks even more when he smiles and waves at her in the middle of his set. After three encores, he finally leaves the stage, and the announcer returns to the podium.

"Alright, alright," he starts as the crowd continues to cheer. "Next up we have a new group for y'all to meet. Their just breaking onto the scene, but I think you're gonna like them. Give it up for 'Kentucky Social'" The announcer leaves, and the crowd cheers as the band take the stage, getting in place before the lights hit them. Maxine stands in The Circle, Deacon to her left, Jared to her right, and everyone else in a half circle behind them.

"Hey guys!" Max says, before laughing and having to stop for a second. She scans the crowd, the biggest they have ever played for, and is in awe for a minute. "Wow! This is crazy!" she giggles, and everyone out in the house laughs too. "I'm Maxine, and that's Deacon and we're 'Kentucky Social'. You guys ready to have some fun tonight?"

She starts off with the cliché line that gets the crowd going, and then immediately goes into their first song. It's one of their more popular songs to come off their first EP; fun, fast, and upbeat, called 'Hulk Smash'. It has this crazy insane bass part for Deacon that took him weeks to learn; it's one of the band's favorites to perform.

They play two more songs, and when the last notes of 'Cattails' hit, Max bends over and takes a swing for the water bottle at her feet.

"Alright," she starts. "We're gonna play something new for y'all, okay?" The crowd cheers, loving their performance. "Okay," she adjusts her guitar strap around her neck. "This one is called 'Hampton's Hideaway' I hope you like it."

It's slower in tempo, starting with keyboard and then slowly adding the other instruments. Inspired by a spur of the moment trip Finn and Deacon took out to her family's home in the upscale city the previous summer, and the little cove they had discovered during a walk on the beach. Funnily enough: the cover art for the EP it's attached too is a picture Deacon too of Finn on that trip where she is sitting on the rocks by their new found spot, the wind has blown her hair to obvlion, and she's staring out to the horizon. Finn didn't even know he had taken the shot until the album release party when she say the cover art.

And as much as she would deny it in later years, on that night when Deacon and Max are singing that song, she cries and doesn't even try to stop the tears rolling down her face. She's just so happy for her friends and all they have accomplished.

After the show, once everything has been cleaned up and 'Kentucky Social' have finished their press responsibilities, the group heads out on the town to celebrate. The first bar they go to, some couple who was at the show offers to buy them a round of drinks, and how could they refuse?

The night ends at a line dancing club; every is a little bit drunk, and still buzzing over their performance, which has over five hundred thousand views on YouTube already.

Finn stands on Deacon's boots, wearing his cowboy hat, as he two-steps them around the floor. As she watches the faces go by, her face on his chest, inhaling his musky, and slightly sweet sent, Finn buns this night into her mind; trying to remember it forever.